October 22-26, 2018 marked the first annual Massachusetts STEM Week, and MIND Research Institute was proud to celebrate the occasion with some of our ST Math partner schools in Beverly, Burlington, and Lawrence, Massachusetts.
MIND collaborated with the schools to host Family Math Nights, events that gave families a chance to share meals and experience our new MathMINDs Games: South of the Sahara storybook board games together.
The beloved ST Math mascot JiJi even stopped by to visit. Over 600 students and their family members participated in the events, filling each one to capacity. The turnout was especially impressive, considering that on three of the four nights, the hometown-favorite Boston Red Sox were playing in the World Series!
... and then we had an incredible Family Math Night with very cool games by @STMath and a special guest appearance by ... JIJI!!! 🐧😮 pic.twitter.com/5RIwSJZSMc
— Tarbox_School (@TarboxSchool) October 25, 2018
MathMINDs Games: South of the Sahara takes students and their families on a mathematical history tour as they learn to play games by reading stories from the history of math. By weaving together history, storytelling, and math, these games provide a richly-integrated experience for students and parents.
The games cover a range of difficulty levels and provide all learners new opportunities to make sense of problems and to discover their own winning strategies.
During the events, students were excited to share their thinking and to lead their families in discovery of new mathematical ideas. Parents commented that they found themselves “thinking more creatively,” and that they enjoyed “sharing the experience of working with the family.”
“I know we were learning, but it didn’t really feel like math!” another parent told us. We agree — and this type of dynamic engagement is not only crucial for learning, but has a transformative effect on our relationship with mathematics.
At MIND, we are excited to continue to share new ways of thinking about math for learners at all levels, from young children to experienced adults, so they can build a true friendship with math.
We'd like to thank our ST Math partner schools for celebrating MA STEM Week with us by bringing families together! MIND is looking forward to sharing MathMINDs Games: South of the Sahara at events throughout the country.
James Dunseith is an Education Success Manager at MIND Research Institute. James is an educator of students of all ages, having taught in the classroom as well as provided professional development and instructional coaching to K-12 educators across the country.
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